ETSI publishes Report on 5G Wireless
Backhaul/X-Haul

Using Microwave and Millimetre-wave for 5G

ETSI’s millimetre Wave Transmission
Industry Specification Group (mWT ISG) has just released a new Report, ETSI GR
mWT 012, which addresses the prominent 5G backhaul/X-Haul scenarios.
It also presents how current microwave and millimetre wave transmission
technologies, as well as their foreseen evolution in the pertinent areas of
innovation, will satisfy upcoming 5G access requirements. The Report points out
the importance of the appropriate regulation and licensing to ease 5G wireless
backhaul/X-Haul deployments.

Mobile
communication technology is evolving rapidly towards its 5G deployment phase,
which aims to develop new business opportunities related to enhanced Mobile
Broadband, Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications and massive
Machine-Type Communications. New radio access network architecture trends, aiming
at higher network efficiency and improved service delivery, are also discussed
within the scope of 5G. In parallel, it is expected that 5G deployments will be
characterized by increased network density, mainly driven by small cell
implementation. As with the previous 3GPP generations, it is predicted that
service providers will start with an early stage of deployment and they will
progressively move towards long-term maturity, hence mobile access sites are
going to be gradually upgraded to 5G configurations that will appear in
different flavours and iterations of standards.

It is of paramount
importance to prepare the ground for the new backhaul/X-Haul
architecture for 5G. To this end, various developments in the domains of
technology, regulation and standardization are in progress. In reality, the
microwave and millimetre wave transmission technologies satisfy the 5G
"Early Stage" requirements and under a forward-looking view,
innovations on wireless backhaul/X-haul technologies will continue towards 5G,
focusing on capacity, latency, spectral efficiency, higher transmission
distances, synchronization and networking functionalities, so as to address the
5G "Mature Stage" requirements that will appear later.

GR mWT 012 shows that microwave and
millimetre wave transmission technologies are going to continue to play a
pivotal role in the 5G era as they will be fundamental pillars of service
providers' network development strategy to address the future radio access
demands. This view is also strengthened due to the inherent benefits of
wireless backhaul/X-Haul with regard to performance, ease of deployment, fast
time-to-market and cost efficiency.